Hi I have a 310E and it was running fine. Recently I've noticed that the forward and reverse would not engage. I have read the whole 10 page thread previously that was posted by Skip. My problem is it works sometimes and don't work most of the times. Also it seems that it engages the reverse easier than the forward. I am trying my best to not pull the reverser out. Here's what I have done so far: 1. Replaced the Relays under the ignition for the parking brake. Didn't seem to make a difference. Parking brake is engaging properly. When I am on a slight slope and/or I move forward with my bucket with Shift lever=Neutral and Parking Brake=OFF the tires roll freely and pressing the parking brake stops the machine every time. So then that means there is good oil pressure ? When the machine runs it does run fine. No loss of power. 2. Next thing I did was change the Shifter FNR on the steering. No progress. This was an unnecessary expense due to my lack of troubleshooting 3. Changed the oil in the reverser 4 times already and also the transmission filter. Noticed the oil was a little cloudy. Oil is not leaking anywhere and level on dipstick was normal when engine running warm. Only got 2 gallons out after opening the filter and the drain valve. I used Hy Gard Oil. Every time I change the oil the machine seems to run for a 15-30 minutes before showing symptoms. 4. Next thing was I tried pressing the Clutch disconnect button a few times thats on the front bucket shifter. I am trying to figure out how to test this properly. When the machine runs good forward and backward, pressing that button disconnects the gear just fine. So the button is working fine when F/R works. May be there is an issue with the wire or the switch when its not working ? 5. Next step I was thinking was to backprobe the 4 wires that go into the transmission valve cover where the 3 solenoids are and see if they are getting voltage when there is loss of F/R. I do not hear any solenoids clicking with Keys on ON postion, engine not running, and parking brakes OFF when I cycle thru F N R. The only clicking noise I hear is under the keys where the relays are
Welcome to HEF Bobby ! If there is a break in the wire to that switch on the loader lever or to the switch on the floor shifter, it will stop the transmission from working. Also, when posting, please supply the complete machine serial number. Need that to be able to provide you with accurate information.
T0310EX847119
Unfortunately or fortunately the machine is currently moving. So electrical tests are turning out to be all good. I have it raised up on the stabilizers and the back wheels are moving both ways upon using the shifter lever. It should quit soon based on experience and I will check then the electrical connections to those buttons you mention as well as the 4 wires going to solenoid. On an interesting note the machine is running fine this morning and raised on the stabilizers. I applied the parking break and it stops the wheels when engaged in F or R. But I climb down and turn the back wheel by hand and they move freely. No matter what position the parking brake switch is in and no matter what position the shift lever is in F N or R , I am able to rotate the back wheels both ways by hand. Is this normal ? However when it’s running , applying the parking brake switch does stop the wheels. But then it moves freely
OK it quit working after running for 30 minutes. I am checking the electrical connections now. Will report soon. My suspicion, based on symptoms and reading previous threads is that one or more solenoid spool valve is stuck or dirty. But not opening the valve until I do the electrical checks.
Yes. It is not likely to be the solenoids. The T52 blue wire going to the solenoids needs voltage for the transmission to move. If that wire has no voltage, the transmission will be disengaged.
Thanks MG. Here are the findings: I did backprobe and also front probe the round solenoid connector. I was able to twist it open as well as test it while on. everything tested against ground. Shifter in Forward : black wire 0.05V , neutral blue wire 12.27V, forward blue wire 12.32V, reverse blue wire 0.04V Shifter in Neutral (or with clutch disconnect button on loader lever pressed): forward blue wire 0.07V, reverse blue 0.05V, neutral blue 12.12V SHIFTER IN Reverse : black wire 0.05V, neutral blue wire 12.20V, forward blue wire 0.11V reverse blue wire 12.23V Here’s one thing I noticed. And I am totally novice to this. In the past I would effortlessly shift from R to F and F to R on the fly and it worked perfectly. Now it seems it would not. Actually this machine works if I spend 10-15 seconds on neutral. In neutral the rear wheel driveshaft I could see turn slightly. And then if I engage F or R it seems to work 90% of the time. Still not always. If I go from R to F directly it locks up the machine and vice versa. I understand that this is an old machine 1998 I believe. But sometimes I have to spend over a minute in neutral to be able to shift. I didn’t know this technique up until I removed the floor plate and could see the driveshaft turning. In neutral it seems to turn very slowly and if I shift to R or F at that point it seems to engage atleast most of the time. Not always. Sometimes the driveshaft won’t move when in neutral and at that stage engaging F or R don’t seem to work. I also hear a hissing sound separate from the engine running, as if oil is flowing with great constriction coming from the transmission valve cover area. Any thoughts ? Is it normal to need to wait that long in neutral for the driveshaft to start spinning ? And even then it won’t engage all the time.
Ok so the wheels were turning when I had them raised on Stabilizers. Now all 4 tires are on the ground I don’t see the driveshaft moving on neutral. And I hear that hissing sound. And it won’t engage on F or R If I had the expertise I would drain the whole transmission and clean good as well as clean the control valve really good and make sure no spool valves are stuck under the solenoid. That’s where my inclination is right now. I could be wrong.
Now it’s acting just like before. Won’t move 90% of the time. Even when I give it time in neutral. The hissing sound is much louder when it’s in neutral or when I press the clutch disconnect button in the lever. When in F or R the hissing sound is much quieter. This is very frustrating. I triple checked the voltage at those 4 wires. They always have power on 2 out of the 4 wires when engaged in F or R.
Anything else to check before I ask someone to open the control valve and clean it inside ?
Were these tests performed while backprobing with the connector connected and while you had the issue happening?
Hi MG , yes that’s correct. Please see attached picture. Backprobing while the machine was on F or R and not moving and the round connector still connected. I tested this 3 times and also right now. 2 of the blue wires always have voltage when on F or R. Whether it’s moving or not. Always 2 wires have voltage when engine is running and on F or R. And backprobing the connector while engine running was totally your idea that I got from Skips thread.
Guys is there a way to clean out the solenoid and its surroundings without dropping the tranny ? I would like to remove the top cover on the control valve as shown below, then clean or replace the solenoids if bad and make sure the spool under the solenoid moves freely. Can all that be done with me only removing the cover ? I don’t have the tools to drop the tranny. Also the top cover, under which the solenoids are seems to be directly under the steering column. As you can see in picture it’s hard enough to even remove that top cover. Ideally I would like to clean the whole control valve as I suspect that to be having some clogs. Can someone in south FL help me if I paid ?
Do you have the old filter? Cut it open and inspect it for debris. Do you have gauges?
I have those old factory gauges with fuel level indicator and hours. Cut open the filter had nothing in it. Then problem started happening yesterday again, The machine won't move at all. Sorry for the late reply. I was out of town and haven't used the machine much. It has been running fine for the last 3 months with very little hiccups. A few times it stalled but not more than 10 seconds. But I haven't ran it for over 2 hours total. I did not do anything to it besides cleaning up the connectors for the solenoids, which I found had traces of oil in them. Here's a couple of observations: When it runs, say in forward and it decides to quit , it does so with a jolt as if someone hit the parking brake. Also when the FNR lever is N it makes a slight noise as if there is oil flowing under pressure. The noise goes away when I put it F or R even when it not moves F or R.
When I asked about gauges, I meant do you have pressure test gauges to check the transmission pressure? When it is not moving, does the stop light flash and the alarm sound?
I don't have a pressure test gauge but can go buy one. No alarm sound or lights
How hard is it to take off this top cover that I’m pointing at ? The solenoids are under it. Do I need to drop the transmission ? There are 10 bolts there. 4 on top of the hump and 6 on the lower end. Also that connector I am pointing at had some oil in it. I cleaned it thouroughly and it seem to work for a while. But then it started to not work again. I retested the connector that pulls out and I am getting proper voltages. At F and R there’s 12 V on 2 of the blue wires. At N there’s 12 V on the 3rd blue wire. Is there any tricks to open up the top solenoid cover plate ? I wanted to check the solenoids as well as the connector and wires that’s attached to the cover. While the machine was on F and parking brakes OFF I was pulling the connector in and out and doing that 10 times made the machine move a little. At this point I am thinking it’s the connector that’s attached to the cover or the solenoids under it or something is clogged under there.
Measure the voltages while the connector is still plugged in by backprobing the wires with a small pin or a tool like below. Post the voltages of the wires in F, R and N with the park brake released. Only two wires should have voltage in F and R. Only one wire should have voltage in N. If the above checks out, then pressure tests will be needed.
Looks like there is some damage to that connector. You better be damn careful doing the wiggle test, or any other test, with the engine running and in and out of gear. Don’t need to get runded over by your own machine. Have seen some serious injuries with tractors and such, with people hooking up 3 pt hitch stuff and messing around with shift linkages, with the tractor running. I got ran over by my Datsun 210B one fine freezing morning, when I went to start it and slipped on the ice in the floor board, half in, half out, trying to start it, to warm it up before going to high school. Ran right over my chest and ripped the door off, which landed on my head, then kept backing up, till it ran into my mothers car and stalled.
Hi MG These results still hold. In F and R 2 of the wires have voltage but slightly lower as of now 11.9V. I tested with backprobing (under load) and still both wires have. Don’t seem to have an open ground.
Backprobe the ground wire to make sure it is 0.100 volts or less.
Have you checked the transmission fluid when the trouble is happening? Does the parking brake come on when it won't move? I wonder if you might have low transmission pressure when the problem occurs. Remember that the parking brake is spring applied anytime system pressure is too low.
Not sure this is relevant to your problem, but I’ll throw it out there. I had a similar issue with the shuttle shift on my ‘95 Case 580SL. Intermittent then total loss of travel. The knowledgeable members of HEF pointed me to the ‘Time Delay Relay’. It’s function is to have a little pause between FNR to keep the cowboys from taking out the drivetrain. I don’t know exactly what it does but I suspect it cuts converter hydraulic pressure momentarily. Maybe the 310 has something similar? Replacing the relay fixed it for me and I also found some fuse block terminals that needed some love. But the relay has the stupid money price tag on it!
Good thought, however - The timer relay on our machines delay the speed pack engagement to allow the directional pack to fill first. It is only used in the 4 speed powershift. The OP's transmission is a 4 speed shuttle shift.
Wanted to give an update because I had a very bad experience and issue is still not resolved: This was so frustrating. I am glad people here are helping. First of all I am not a mechanic, so I hired one and he pulled out the Transmission valve/solenoid housing and it was indeed dirty. He told me he would take it home, test the solenoids and clean the unit. He told me the solenoids were bad. All 3 were bad he said. I did not believe that. He just wanted the money to replace all 3. He comes back after 2 months leaving that valve cover open. Only after I threatened to call the cops he finally returned. He said he never got my messages for 2 months and went to Brazil. As I suspected water went in thru that opening as it rained heavily in Florida. He comes back with the unit cleaned and new solenoid and puts back on. Same exact issue. Except that the solenoid cover is leaking. I am guessing he did not put a new gasket. Thats when I saw the leaking oil was milky and knew it was water. Then he gives some excuse and leaves. I paid him 600$ for the 3 new solenoids. Which I do think he replaced because he showed me the older ones. I did not pay him for any labor because things wrent fixed and neither did he ask for it. He disappeared again. So I am done with this. I went ahead and drained all the fluid. Raised the front end up and sucked out most of the milky glue stuff with a syringe. Poured transmission fluid until it ran clear. Changed the tranny filter. Machine starts up no issues with that. Issue is exactly same as before. Here is what I need help with: 1. Please send me a link to the gasket that I can buy which goes under the solenoid cover. Its the plate with a hump thats approx 2 in by 8 in. 2. I am speculating a bad transmission pump ? I have not tested the pressure. Can someone point me how to test the pressure and what gauge to get ? 3. The issue is exactly same as before. Runs intermittently. Which tells me solenoids are not the issue. Connectors are fine. I backprobed it. Results posted above.
Hi mg I did backprobe with a safety pin while machine is running. ANd it showed 2 wires to have 12V around in F and R and one wire have voltage in N. All the voltages were between 12.1V and 12.2V. Someone told me it has to 14V. I don't really know if having 12.2V is insufficient.
Please keep in mind the voltages show 12.2 with engine running when the machine DOES engage in both F and R and also about 12.1-12.2 when the machine DOES NOT move F and R. I have wiggled the wires and the connectors and it does not make a difference. It has its own mind when to kick on F/R or not
12.2 volts is fine. If the T52 Blue wire always has voltage in combination with the other wires (T13 and T11), even when not moving, then a pressure test is in order. If you ever lose voltage to the T52 wire, then it is an electrical issue. You will need a 500 psi gauge and diagnostic couplers. Check your messages.
Thank You so much MG. I am not able to reply to your message though Do I not need this tool below as mentioned in the documents of first message you sent ? AT202955: Diagnostic Coupling | AT202955 Diagnostic Coupling shop.deere.com
I lock out conversations on purpose so the all the text remains on the public forum and not in private. That way everybody gets to see the progress and learn or have the opportunity to respond. The coupler should look like the one's pictured in the attachments I sent. I recommend getting them from Parker Hydraulics.
Thank You MG. I see the 3 pdfs. The one pictured above is PD357. That's good. Seems like in addition to PD357 , gauge and hose, I also need the elbow and PD348 for the modulation pressure test. I could not find PD348 at all anywhere on internet. But I did find a similar elbow 716 -20 (-4 MJIC) M10 X 1.0 I also found on another of your thread that PD348 (as mentioned in JD manual) is similar to PD342 or PD34BTX ? Can you confirm which one Parker No. 4M10C80MX (7/16 -20 37° x m10 x 1) Elbow Parker No. PD348 Diagnostic Coupler
Also can I use this gasket maker below and cut it to fit the solenoid top cover on the valve that's leaking ? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DRVQS9SB/
Anyways I ordered everything on the list. Please let me know about the gasket. Is there a part # for the gasket ?
Just wanted to mention that the ground cable to the right of your red arrow is in need of some cleaning at bolt hole and if too corroded down cable then replacement. It wont heal itself. Could be causing some problems now or will eventually. Spray it with Fluid Film when cleaned up and good for a long time. Simon C
The gasket's part number is T159604. As seen here.
This is the diagram I was looking for Shop.Deere.com Product Details Page. shop.deere.com Thanks a lot MG for the gasket # On a side note is it a good idea to take the control valve housing out (I have to do that anyways to drain the watery oil and replace gasket) and connect the plug to it and run the machine and test ? Will it hurt to run the engine is valve housing is off and very low oil in the transmission ?
I would leave the transmission control valve housing on it. Just put the cover back on. I would check pressures before you do anything else. Did you ever backprobe the ground wire at the control valve plug and measure that voltage?
The black ground wire reads 0.05 V with shifter in all 3 positions F N and R. I have to take out the whole control valve once more to clean out the milky oil that’s in it currently. I don’t want to call that mechanic again. I see so many screws. Like 16 of them. can you please point out which ones to open to remove it completely ?
Or are you suggesting just to take off the top solenoid cover and put that back on with the gasket instead of taking out the whole thing ? Then put fresh oil and hope it will clear the milky liquid itself out when I run it and then drain the oil again ? Sorry if I’m sounding redundant but I am really not a mechanic and wanting to find out the easiest way to do this
If it is still installed, leave it. Just change the oil and filter. What little milky oil is in the control valve will be a non-issue. You need to figure out why the transmission won't engage before disassembling anything. I want to know what the transmission system and the modulation pressures are when the transmission is not working. With the 4 speed shifter in neutral, need to know what the pressures are in neutral, in forward, and what exactly the modulation pressure does when the shift is made.
OK So I am still waiting on gasket to arrive (Part # T159604) It seems its back ordered. Also noticed that this solenoid harness pictured is badly scuffed. Can you help me with the part number ? I would like to order a replacement just in case.
Go here for the electrical connector and terminals. As for the wiring, you would need the entire engine/transmission harness, of which is no longer available from Deere. I would just repair the wiring. That solenoid is for the differential lock.
Thank you. So I ordered the part # RE12331 for the diff lock which I see is visibly wore out. But dont see the part # or diagram for the Round Connector that goes on top into the FNR solenoid. Backprobing did give me proper 12V which indicates the wiring leading upto that connector is good. But it dont gurantee that the connector itself is good. May be its not sending power to the solenoids. Please correct me if I am wrong. So I would also love to replace the big round connector that goes into the solenoid. Both the outside one as well as the inside one thats under that top plate. Electrical connection is still a BIG suspect and I dont think we ruled that out 100% yet. Due to the intermittent nature of the issue I would think if the transmission pump was bad or if it wasnt making enough pressure, it would never work. But because it works sometimes and dont sometimes, I would love to replace that round connector (both make and female) Can you please help with the diagram or the part #
That link I posted in post #43 is the online Deere parts catalog. You can look up your parts yourself. The round connector is here (item 31). And the one under the cover is here (item #8).
Thank you MG. So I got the top cover off since I was trying to replace the gasket. I see that the solenoids are stuck and won’t come out when I pull them. All 3. I got the connector off and the connectors look in good condition to me. I had earlier paid a mechanic who took the whole valve body with me and told me he found all 3 solenoids to be bad and he told me he replaced all 3. I found it a little suspicious that all 3 solenoids would be bad. I have a feeling he didn’t even change any solenoids. And just pocketed the money I paid him for parts. Again that’s just a guess. I don’t really know. These solenoids are stuck. What’s the process to pull them out ? Should I use pliars or pry them and use force to pull them out ? Remember the valve body is still attached to the machine. And I was only gonna replace the gasket because this was leaking. Please advise ? If I could take the solenoids out I can test them and if bad I would replace them. How do o take them out ? I am being cautious and not wanting to break something
Forgot the attachment here they are
I apologize. There was an Allen nut. I was able to take the solenoids out and I am starting to test them now. I don’t see any dirt in there.
Seen the picture and thought, I have not looked close enough a few times in my life also. LOL Have also seen in my life of mechanicing, others that were blind at times. We all miss some things some of the times. You will get it figured out. Simon C
Ok it’s all put back together. Too dark now. Tomorrow I fill up reverser oil and give it a start. The solenoids were clean and were clicking when I manually tested them with 12v. The only concern I have is when I was putting back the solenoids and connecting it’s terminals I was mildly shocked. I didn’t disconnect the battery. I did disconnect the round connector. Was wondering why there would be any power.
OK good news and bad news. After replacing the top Solenoid cover gasket and cleaning everything up, the machine ran for straight 20 minutes. No intermittent issue. Then it slowly died. Now its crawling and barely moving forward or backward. Seems like the issue is now different. Earlier it was intermittent. Like it would either run or not ron. Now I feel its wanting to move but there is a clog. My gut feeling is since water went in there, and there was visible gunk when I drained the oil, I think the filter is clogged and so is the valve body. Also the leak still exists. Changing the Solenoid gasket did not help because I dont think there is oil in that top chamber because there are wires conecting to the top of solenoid and oil would mess them up. The leak has to be from where the valve body connects to the transmission with the metal plate. The metal plate is fine. But is there a soft gasket in there too ? I think thats whats missing. MG you have been very helpful. Can you please confirm the part number for the soft gasket if any needed at all ? I have the metal plate but feel that metal to metal is not making a tight seal. Looking at the link below (Thanks to you) will I need to buy Part # T184586 ? Is that the paper/rubber gasket ? Or is it the more expensive Part # AT336878 ? I would hate to buy AT336878 because I already have the metal gasket. I hate this but need to take apart that valve body again. Shop.Deere.com shop.deere.com
Also in that link in the last post, Part 6 7 and 8 no longer available. And its being replaced by 9. I think I have the old part # 7 (the metal plate) and missing the 2 gaskets that goes on either side of the metal plate. And now I need to buy Part 9 (which replaces 6 7 8) in the diagram and use new bolt Part # T159607. Am I correct MG ? That could be the reason its leaking because I am missing the 2 soft gaskets on either side of the plate which are no longer available.
Check your messages. I do not remember you mentioning this. With the oil drained, look into the drain plug hole with a flashlight. You might be able to see the oil pickup. Is it plugged? How about a picture of the gunk you drained?
Ok thanks MG for the gasket details and so I was right and what I was dreading. Need to buy this 300$ gasket now. Ooof. I need part# AT336878 with 19 new 60mm screws. Let me take picture of the gunk although almost all of that is now cleared. I’ll open the filter again to take a look if any
The gunk had consistency exactly that of snot.i will check later today. Is there a way to clean the oil pickup/suction area without dropping the transmission ? Is there a way to drop the transmission pan only ?
I am now 90% sure that the solution is to clean the gunk thoroughly, from the entire system including the valve body, filter and pickup area and also replace the gasket with new that’s causing the leak. I will be very lucky if only thing that needs cleaning is the pickup area. I do see that the oil that’s leaking out of the valve body does look clean.
Did JD make some early Es with reversers? So, I have an 310E myself and had some very similar issues with mine. I have the 4 speed in the floor. Hopefully your pickup tube screen isn't stuffed with clutch material like mine was. As your fluid gets hotter it can find ways to not do the work. Clutches can start slipping etc. It sounds like yours was cold and worked right for 20 minutes and then quit. Maybe something like that going on.
Thanks Sargent. I am not a mechanic but can you suggest the easiest way to clean the oil pickup screen tube ? Do I need to drop the transmission ?
Here you go. Some light reading. HeavyEquipmentForums
Here is another one related to this. HeavyEquipmentForums
Thanks Sargent, I read both threads and it seems you inserted a bore camera and found the clogged pickup tube screen. And you also mentioned you didnt have to drop the transmission. I have some basic question for you if you dont mind: You got access to the pickup screen from where exactly ? After removing the charge pump ? Where is this charge pump ? Is the charge pump the same as the housing that holds the transmission oil filter ? How do I access or clean this screen.
Looking at that picture of the pickup tube, you can see there is a shroud over the screen. When clutch material loads up between the shroud and the screen itself, it's about impossible to clean. I removed the charge pump and used a borescope down the pickup tube to look at the screen. At the end of the day though, that did nothing to help me clean it. I also backwashed the screen with diesel fuel and an airgun. again, that didn't really help any. In the first thread, you can see the transmission. Does yours look like that? I'm not convinced you have the same trans. I did have to remove the transmission to clean that screen, replace all worn frictions and steels in the two clutches, O-rings and seals, etc.
Is there any other way besides dropping trans ? Like blowing air or oil via an external pump or create air pressure either thru the oil filter hole and or the pour tube hole and hope some junk drop out of the drain plug ?
You have been messing with it for almost a year. Why not find a reputable shop and send it to get fixed. Check local contractors and see who fixes their stuff. Not every mechanic is a crook, there has to be some one. 600 here 300 there. Firing the parts cannon at do it yourself projects gets expensive. Owning equipment comes with big repair costs. I work for a good size company. They will try a couple basic things then call the dealer because buying parts you don't need and down time is more expensive than paying someone that knows what they are doing
I wish it was possible and I wish that would fix the trans. If your pickup tube screen is full of crap, that's not gonna be the root cause of your problem. It's gonna be the fact that the clutch frictions are gone and to repair that requires removing the transmission. You've drained the oil during this, right? If you still have that, inspect the bottom of the container that oil is in for fragments, chips, pieces of friction material from the clutches.
An im not down beating fixing it yourself. But sometimes it can cost you more in the long run and you still have to get someone else
Thanks but I have tried 3 mechanics here and they have no clue. I will ask around. All the parts I have bought so far are oil and filters and some gaskets because apparently I could not reuse the gasket plates that came with the machine and the parts changed. So far really haven’t spent much on parts. Also I do not think my system is as clogged as Sargents was. I only had a little bit of snotty fluid from water. And draining out the gunk with some pressure might solve the problem. I didn’t find any clutch material or any metal or algae in my filter or the old oil that I drained. Only thing was milky sticky stuff that came because the other mechanic left the control valve area open for a month under rain.
I do not think that is my problem. I just think there is this sticky residue from water that has gone in recently and I just need to flush that out. I havent seen any evidence of crap or metal in the old filter nor in the old oil that was changed. When I get to it I'll take a picture of what that gunk looks like. Just waiting on new filters and oil to come. I can do most of these repairs myself besides dropping tranny.
People in this forum especially MG are far more knowledgeable than the 3 heavy equipment mechanics that came to me and have been doing nothing but messing with it wasting time. Yes almost a year wasted. I have a full time desk job and a young daughter. I can't devote too much time to this except on weekends. My next goal is to clean out the sticky liquid from the control valve, pickup area by using some type of pressure and flushing. I also plan to fill it up with oil, remove the filter and put a 5 gallon bucket under it and run the machine and see how much oil I get. Thanks to Sargents post. If I manage to clean everything and add the new gasket to control valve (they changed that part and forced me to buy new part) If that works then fine. If not I am happy to get this to a mechanic and drop the tranny.
being a little cautious here. Question about control valve screws: MG and Sargent , did you upgrade your control valve gasket (transmission plate) to newer part # AT336878 and then used 19 new screws: The recommendation in the note sent by MG says use Cap Screw part # T159607 (M6 X 60 fully threaded) However when I called John Deere they told me T159607 is no longer made. Instead I was recommended this replacement screw below: (this one is only half way threaded) Is it OK if I order this one below Its still M6 X 60 like what's recommended and I am guessing it don't need a full threading because its just sliding thru the control valve until it gets to the transmission T379777: Cap Screw, M6 X 60
I am just going to order these new screws: Part T379777. These are still 5mm shorter meaning they would allow the valve to tighten more. I will clean everything and put the control valve back together and then provide an update. Thanks everyone
Is this the control valve plate where the one you took off had a wide gasket and the new one is a thin o-ring like seal? If so, I went back with a new plate, but the original screws and added washers. Seems I remember checked the depth of each hole to make sure none would bottom out. That was about 5 years ago and no leaks that I know of. EDIT: Just found an image of your plate and it's not exactly the same as the one I had. Might could work out the same but I have the sychro shuttle shift I think it's called and you have the powershift?
So the one I had originally (gaskets that goes between the control valve and transmission) is a 3 piece gasket. The middle one is metal and the 2 outer ones some composite paper like material. John Deere no longer makes any of those 3 original gaskets. My metal plate gasket is fine, which is the most expensive part, but it would no longer work as those 2 soft gaskets are out of production. They instead make this new updated metal plate (still on its way to me and delayed due to holidays) part # below and this one DO NOT require any additional gaskets. But do require 19 smaller screws so as make this tighter given that the gasket width decreases. MG sent me the pdf and its all in there. At this point my goal is to get this clean as much as I can, and stop the leak too. Because I thinkl if there is a leak it would lose pressure and cause the parking brakes to engage. Any type of leak is just an absolute no no. AT336878: Transmission Plate
Sounds like a good plan. Keep everything clean, take your time, and carefully torque everything.
Mine is Synchro Shuttle too. I think when you did yours, John Deere still had those original gaskets in stock or your old gaskets worked. In my case the old composite gaskets were melted when we cleaned the control valve with diesel. John Deere no longer sells those old gasket
No, I got an updated plate. I still have the old one. Really thought about reusing it but went ahead and bought a new one. New much lighter feeling than the old one. Thin seal on the new one.
Ok so wanted to give an update. 90% good news and some bad news. The good news is machine is moving F and R really smoothly and every single time. The bad news is there is still a minor leak right where the valve body attached to the machine. I did use updated metal gasket # AT336878 along with 19 new screws that is basically T27 torx head. I am not a very strong person but not that weak either. I did my best to tighten the screws with the tool pictured. Ran the machine and it went F and R just fine. Saw a puddle of oil right under the valve body. Tightened the screws further the best I could and busted my knuckles twice as the Torx head would slip out. I was able to tighten it some more but I feel I am using that ****** green tool as pictured. Less oil coming out but still there is leak. I have NOT changed the top 4 screws as pictured. Only the bottom 19 screws. Please help as I feel I am almost 90% there. Here is what I did to fix the FNR issue. Again I am not a mechanic. Filled the transmission with oil and opened the bottom drain and used a air pressure hose and shoved it on the top of fill tube. Dirty milky oil with snot like consistency came out of drain hole. See picture. of bucket. Did this 2-3 times until oil ran clear. Took the valve body out and thoroughly cleaned with diesel. Also cleaned the solenoids. Changed the filter. Now machine moves fine except for that stupid leak.
I also did NOT use the washers with the new screws. Could that be the issue as the screws might be bottoming out ? That would totally suck after doing all the hard work. Also is there a better tool to tighten this without getting bloody knuckles ? Sargent could you please check if you have used washers with those 19 new screws ?
Measure the length of the screw vs the depth of the hole? Also, a small amount of oil can leave a pretty big spot. Put a baking sheet or something under and measure the amount of oil its leaking. Might not be that much. Hopefully nothing is cracked.
Well the new screws are 5 mm shorter (60 mm instead of the original 65mm) So should be good. I havent measured them. Except that I forgot to use washers as they stayed with the old screws. Can you please check if you have used washers or not with new screws ?
All you need to know is the pitch of the screws and size and they can be replaced with regular head bolts, socket head capscrews or 12 point head bolts. That is what I did on many a machine that had half stripped torx screws, that I decided I was not going to fight with ever again. Looks like a 6mm screw or smaller, I might be wrong. And I usually install small flat washers under the screws. Simon C
The screws are M6 X60 and yes you are correct. I could get those with a hex head. Thanks. But let me first see if a washer is needed or not
If you used 5mm shorter screws, then I don't think that's the issue. I used the original screws with washers because that's what I had. Chasing down leaks can be time consuming. It may be leaking from something you haven't even touched? I torqued those bolts to factory spec. Now my 310E does leak, but its from the main hydraulic system. I would estimate I add about 5 gal a year (maybe 100 hrs of use) to that main tank. That's a small price to pay in my opinion.
Your torx wrench is one of poor quality. I can see that it is twisted and on the verge of breaking. A set of high quality T handle torx wrenches is not cheap. But you will not get bloody knuckles using them.
No washers. Also, besides a good Torx bit, get yourself a torque wrench to tighten those screws to 84 in-lbs (7 ft-lbs).
Right now I suspect you have over tightened those screws. 7 ft-lbs is not much!
Thats a possibility but I didnt strip the thread or anything. So should not leak unless I cracked the housing which I dont see. I will inspect closely tomorrow as to where exactly its leaking from. My initial visual tells me its from the bottom of the valve body but I will crawl under it tomorrow and confirm
7 ft-lb is indeed very small amount because I most likely over tightened it then. 7 ft-lb of torque is little more than finger tight. Wondering if overtightening it would cause it to leak though because the plate inside is aluminum and they would just compress and tighten more. So if I loosen them to 7 ft-lb it will stop the leak ?
No.
So the leak is identified to be coming from the bottom area of the valve body where it meets the tranny. I looked with a small mirror underneath the valve body. I checked the oil to be consistent with transmission oil and do not smell like the hydraulic oil. It also appears that some of the screws I over tightened and a few I under tightened. I am tightening the under tightened ones to at least 7.5 ft-lb. Also one of my concern is that there could be a piece of dirt or grime stuck in the gasket area when I slapped the valve body in there. I cant tell for sure. The area was dirty and I had no room to look at the back when putting things together. I cant confirm but there might be some dirt lodged in the gasket area and preventing it from sealing it fully. So for now I will tighten the loose screws and check for leak. If it still leaks I will take the whole thing out and inspect for cracks. Provide an update in a day or two
OK I know its been a long time but wanted to provide an update Special thanks to MG and Sargent There was trash inside the transmission that looked like snot/glue. I tilted the bucket so the drain hole is at its lowest position, then opened the bottom drain and put compressor air from the fill tube. I filled with some oil and did this over and over again till no more gunk came out. Opened the oil filter and valve body and filled with oil and ran the machine again and again to clear things out. Changed the oil filter and replaced Valve body with new gasket as recommended by John Deere as well as used new updated screws that are 60 mm (shorter). The oil was clean and the machine ran both F and R just fine. Previuosly I had also replaced the 3 Solenoids. Only issue was that it leaked from under the valve body. Machine ran fine. So I took the valve body apart again and took some Permatex Oil Resistant Gasket maker and used a thin layer on the outside rim BOTH between the metal gasket and the valve body AND ALSO the metal gasket and the transmission. Then sandwiched the two and torqued it down to 9 ft-lb (Yes 2 ft-lb higher to squeeze the soft gasket. Nothing is super overtight like before. Just 2ft-lb higher. I dont care what you guys think of the torque. I didnt want this thing to leak again. But I ran the machine for several days. Not a drop of oil. This would have cost me several thousands had I taken this to a mechanic. And that too I am not sure if they could have fixed. This took diligent effort using a wet vac sucking the oil at the drain as well as pushing high pressure air thru fill tube for over days and using 20 gallons of oil. If MG happens to visit Florida feel free to stop by Thanks Again
I'm wondering what was the original root cause of your trouble? I'm guessing a sticky control valve? Anyway, glad you got it going. You have certainly gotten to know your backhoe better.